The Unknown Curse
by BroadwayBaby5
Summary: Hook has been scouring the city of New York for weeks after a year of traveling to various lands searching for Emma, when he happens upon a hospital. Curious, he enters, pulled to this place by an odd feeling within. All too soon he has found exactly what he has been searching for, but not in the state he thought he would find her.
1. Chapter 1

It had been over a year. He found himself in this new land of new York City, surrounded by millions of people; none of which ever had the face of his Swan.

He wandered each day searching desperately, a flash of golden blonde hair would stop him in his tracks, only to lead him to a woman who was never Emma.

He had sworn it to himself and her parents he would find her in this land and he would stop at nothing until she was found. However, as each day went by leaving him another day with her lost, his hope began to waver.

What if he never found her? What if when he did, he couldn't break the memory spell Regina had placed on her and her son? What if—no, he would NOT allow himself to let these thoughts intrude his mind. He had to find her. He WOULD find her, if it were the last thing he did.

Today, as he wandered a new neighborhood street, he felt that something would be different. He felt something deep within him, pulling him towards something. He followed this feeling; allowing anything that could possibly lead him to her, do so.

The strange pull within him led him to a block, on one side of the street, apartment buildings and small shops, on the other, a building with a sign in bright red letters that read: HOSPITAL.

A chill ran through his body. What had brought him here? Was his Swan just behind those doors? It was worth a try. He would leave no stone unturned, or, in this case, no building unexplored.

He walked in the front doors, eliciting stares and heads to turn in his direction as he went. At first this bothered him, but it no longer did for he was used to the attention and no longer cared. He walked up to a desk, behind which sat a young woman. She was also blonde like his Swan, but her presence did nothing close to what Emma's did to him.

The young woman looked up as he approached and he saw her eyes widen and a blush color her cheeks. Just another thing he was used to by now, women being caught off-guard and flustered by his devilishly good looks, but he wasn't here to flirt.

The woman gathered herself and shook her head as if trying to clear it, "Um, hi…uh…How can I—how can I help you?"

"Hello…er…" Suddenly he realized he didn't know exactly what to say. "I'm looking for a woman, er, Swan…Emma Swan."

The woman's face seemed to fall a bit at the mention of Emma's name as if she hoped he wasn't looking for another woman, but she cleared her throat and carried on professionally.

"Patient Swan, Emma…hmm…" she said as she clicked buttons on the machine in front of her and stared intently at the glowing box. But something she said confused him.

"Wait, did you say 'patient?' As in, she'd been injured?! His tone became more frantic as he realized where he was. He had been in one before, what seemed like ages ago, but for some reason he never connected that she might be in here because she was hurt or even sick. He swallowed hard and his good hand began to shake.

"Are—are you alright, sir?" The woman asked him noticing his change in demeanor.

"Is—is she alright? Emma, is she…?" But he couldn't finish the thought as a million and one horrible fates for his Swan crossed through his mind. He felt his knees grow weak.

The woman broke him out of his panic. "I don't exactly know why she is here, but you can go visit her room." She handed him a small piece of paper with the word 'VISITOR' on it. He took it and looked back up at her, confused. "Her room is on the second floor, number 815." He stayed silent, words failing him. She continued, "You can take the staircase to your left. Turn right when you reach the top, her room will be at the end."

He looked to the staircase she was pointing to and back to her. "Emma? Emma _Swan_?"

"Yes sir, Emma Swan. Room 815."

Just then a young boy appeared at his side, "You're here to see Emma? So am I, we can walk up together."

Hook looked down at the boy and his heart dropped.

"Henry."


	2. Chapter 2

He stared at the boy and realized what he just did. But before he could try to cover it up, Henry spoke,

"How do you know my name?" The boy wasn't accusing him, he looked sincerely curious.

"I—I, er, I am an old friend of your mum's. I knew she had a son named Henry…I, er, I've seen photographs of you. You've grown.

Hook smiled down at the boy who smiled back genuinely.

"Oh. Well, let me just get my visitor pass and we can go up to see my mom." Henry moved past Hook to the young woman, received a pass like his own, and walked back to his side. "Ready?"

"Aye, lad." The words fell from his mouth out of the joy of seeing Henry and knowing he was that much closer to Emma, but in reality, he was nowhere near ready to see her. What state would she be in when he finally saw her? What if his worst fear was realized and he was too late to save her from whatever fate she had fallen victim to.

He followed Henry towards the stairs silently, and halfway up Henry spoke, "How long have you known my mom?"

"Er, quite, quite some time lad. I—I..." He couldn't think of anything but the question that was eating away at him, "What's wrong with Emma?" It sounded desperate, pleading almost. Henry stopped walking when they reached the top of the staircase. "Has she been harmed?" His hand began to shake again out of his control.

Henry looked at Hook with concern and his own worry etched across his face, but something else as well. Was it recognition?

"She…she's sick." The boy's face fell and Hook knelt to the ground before him. His own pain was also on the boy's face. Just then it hit him. In this world, Emma was all Henry had. The only family they possessed was each other. They were given new memories and this boy knew nothing of the family who waited to be reunited back in the Enchanted Forest.

Hook placed his good hand comfortingly on Henry's shoulder. "Everything will be alright lad. Let's go see her." Hook rose up and kept his hand on Henry's shoulder as they walked towards Emma's room.

"This is it." Henry stopped at the door and looked in. Hook stopped suddenly. She was here. His Swan. After all this time, all his searching, he would finally see her again. He had found her, as he promised he would. But Henry said she was sick. How sick? He knew of terrible sicknesses from his days sailing the seas and of his time in Neverland. He would watch helpless as a member of his crew fell ill and slowly slipped into a terrible sickness. He shuddered to think of his Swan as ill as some of his men had fallen. Henry broke him out of his reverie. "C'mon," he said softly as he motioned for Hook to follow him. He walked forward reluctantly, but forward all the same. A curtain was shielding her form from him and finally his labored footsteps brought him around the curtain and he laid eyes on his Swan for the first time in over a year. At first glance he saw his Swan, but as he walked closer, what he saw made his stomach curl.

Her bright green eyes were shut, sunken in with dark bags beneath them. Her once beautiful face was now thin and pale. Her golden blonde hair was fanned around her, but its luster had gone. It was now just a halo of straw. He almost fell to his knees beside her bed. Henry walked around to the other side and looked at his mother lovingly, but extremely sadness and anguish colored his face.

"She's asleep. She's been asleep for the past three weeks. They can't wake her." Henry said as he reached down and took her hand in his.

"What…what do the doctors say is wrong with her?" Hook's voice cracked on the last word.

"They don't know. It's nothing they have ever seen before. There's nothing physically wrong with her. Her body is just apparently shutting down." Tears began to stream down Henry's face as he spoke.

Hook looked back to Emma and too her other hand in his.

"Oh, Emma, love, please forgive me. I have failed you."

"Forgive you for what?" Henry asked, looking to Hook.

"I have failed her, Henry. I have failed you both." Hook's head fell as his own tears burned in his eyes dangerously close to falling.


End file.
